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Bob Shoop never expected his defense to look game ready by the end of spring. There were too many key players missing, either because of injury or because they hadn't arrived in Knoxville yet, and there was too much scheme to install.

But Tennessee's first-year defensive coordinator heads into Saturday's Orange and White Game believing that he accomplished everything he could have hoped to in the 15 practices of the spring period.

The Vols don't have every defensive play down, he said, but they understand all the basics of his defense.

'Conceptually, I'd say we got 100 percent,' Shoop said in a meeting with the media Thursday. '... The entire package itself isn't in, but I'd say a concept from each segment of the package is in that we can build on as we move forward.'

Shoop said he dedicated each week to a different basic defensive concept, starting with coverages and then working in blitzes off of those coverages.

'That first week, I called it techniques over tactics,' Shoop said. 'We put in all of our coverages, single-high coverages one day, quarters concepts one day, two-deep concepts, not all of them, but one of each. Then we took the spring break, then we came back and started blitzing a little bit. Cover One blitzes one day. Not all of them, but just a concept. We had what we call three-deep zone blitzes one day, not all of them, but a couple of concepts. We scrimmaged that, then another day came back and did some two-deep zone blitzing and some trap concepts, and we scrimmaged that. Then we put in a little bit of a three-down package the last week.'

Over the course of his first three months on the job, Shoop has provided a sketch of the style of defense he hopes to play. He has shown players video of the Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals to give them an idea of the aggression he wants to see. Those teams run differing fronts, and the Vols will be based in a 4-3, but he likes the general style of those teams.

'I never met a blitz I didn't like,' Shoop said. 'We like to come after you. We're going to be aggressive. We're going to be in your face in all situations. We like to challenge every route. I'm a big believer in that's what you do nowadays in football. You watch the two teams that played in the Super Bowl. That was a clinic in an aggressive style of defense right there.'

After working with his defense for 14 practices, Shoop has come to believe that he has the personnel for that sort of defense. However, he admits much of that belief comes from the hope that the defensive line will be one of the conference's best once all of its injured players are healthy.

Defensive ends Derek Barnett, Kyle Phillips and Andrew Butcher and defensive tackles Kendal Vickers and Shy Tuttle missed the entire spring. Defensive end Austin Smith suffered a spring-ending shoulder injury, and the Vols are still waiting on vaunted junior college transfer Johnathan Kongbo, who arrives on campus this summer. Senior Corey Vereen has missed much of spring practice with class conflicts.

'I think we have really good depth,' Shoop said. '... I'm banking on the fact that the guys who aren't practicing this spring are as good as everybody tells me they are. I'm excited to see Shy Tuttle. I'm excited to see Derek Barnett, I'm excited to see Kyle Phillips, I'm excited to see Kendal Vickers. I'm excited for Johnathan Kongbo coming in. Corey Vereen has not practiced every day this spring. You could make a case that if you're listing the D-Line, that's one-through-six right there as far as talent. I'm banking on they'll be fine.'

Shoop said he also is pleased with the depth at linebacker, which was tested by the spring-ending injury suffered by senior Jalen Reeves-Maybin. Junior Cortez McDowell and redshirt freshman Quart'e Sapp impressed him in Reeves-Maybin's stead.

Shoop has been especially happy with the secondary. The Vols lost starting safeties Brian Randolph and LaDarrell McNeil to graduation and played the spring without junior Evan Berry, but junior Todd Kelly Jr. and redshirt sophomore Rashaan Gaulden handled the position well.

Shoop said he also likes his options at the nickel and dime spots with senior Malik Foreman, sophomore safety Micah Abernathy and freshman Marquill Osborne in the mix.

'I think the young linebackers have developed, and I think we have really good depth in the secondary,' Shoop said, 'which will provide us the opportunity to match people up, maybe play some nickel. ... That back seven, all of them can run.'